The Arab Israeli - Conflict.

Extracts from this document...

Introduction

MODERN WORLD ASSIGNMENT: THE ARAB ISRAELI CONFLICT Candidates name: Thomas Lawrence Centre number: 59010 1.During the fighting between 1948-9 between Israel and other neighbouring states around 700 000 Arabs fled from there homes. Most of the refugees from Palestine fled to the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Also large amounts of the refugees went to neighbouring countries like Syria, Jordan and Lebanon. To this date the United Nations (UN) reckons there are around 2 500 000 Palestinian refugees. This is one of the major contributing facts to why the war between Israel and the Palestinians is still going on to this day. From a source in a book Jonathan Dimbleby, a British observer comments on the conditions around the refugee camp. He describes the conditions as atrocious; families are huddled in overcrowded tents. They are without adequate or sanitation. When it started to rain the earth was churned into mud, which oozed into the tents and blocked the narrow paths. The clothes that they lived in were wet and dirty and the blankets they slept in were sodden. Dew to the poor living conditions Influenza reached to an epidemic proportions killing the young and the old. This led the people with no more will to live so this is why there are extremists blowing themselves up. There is a source from a book where a mother is commenting on her sun blowing him self up. She says that I would prefer him to die with Horner and courage than for him to live in these retched conditions under the Israeli ruling. Their homes and land has been taken away from them so that they could make room for the Jewish refugees. ...read more.

Middle

Other issues were the claim to Palestine. The Jewish people lived in the land of Palestine from about 1500 BC. The Romans ruled the Jews and in AD 70 and again in AD 135 the Jews rebelled against their Roman rulers so the Roman soldiers destroyed the city of Jerusalem and expelled the Jews, so in the next 200 years they fled to neighbouring countries and settled in nearly every part of the Roman Empire. Then in the Middle Ages they were expelled from Western Europe and settled in Poland and Russia. In thee nineteenth century the emperor of Russia was assassinated in 1881 and there were many anti-Jewish riots and the new tsar encouraged the persecution of Jews and Synagogues were burnt down. For hundred of years the Jewish people dreamt that they could spend the next year in Jerusalem. By 1914 the First World War had broke out and the Jews were demanding their promise land, which was in Palestine were they lived some 2500 years ago. Between 1880 and 1914 60 000 Jews settled in Palestine. In 1917 the British were very keen to bring the United States in the First World War against Germany. The English thought that if they supported the claim to the Jewish homeland in Jerusalem then Jews living in America might influence America into the war. The Arab claim to Palestine was that for many centuries Arabs have lived in the Middle East, they form the majority of the population and they all speak Arabic. In the seventh century AD there religion was converted to Muslim and they became followers of Mohammed. ...read more.

Conclusion

The Israeli tells us that the PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organisation) are a murderous group with sophisticated weapon but from sources in the book that this quote comes from tells us that the Palestinians used rocks and stones to throw at the Israeli army who had many machine guns and other weapons like tanks which would control the Gaza Strip these weapons were given to them by the Americans. There army was well trained and disciplined and all members had weapons and a uniform, and the Arab army was ill equipped and they do not have a uniform they are dressed in normal day to day clothes. This shows that the Palestinian army was disorganised poorly equipped and badly trained. So it is hard to understand why this point exists. The Israeli then goes on to say that there is no choice other than to destroy the PLO's military capability. I feel that, that is just unjust excuse dew to the fact that most members within the PLO fight with stones. The last thing that is said is that Israel is fighting a just war! Which differs from the last few words from source E that is "We have no other alternative". I feel that the reason why both source E and F differ is because the Jews have been persecuted since Roman times but mainly by the Nazis and they just want there holy land back and that the Arabs have lost everything they have ever owned so they have no other alternative than to fight. I feel that the Palestinians are freedom fighters not terrorists. ...read more.

Related AS and A Level Middle east essays

Another example is the Tiananmen Square protests, the protestors did not use terrorism but they did make the government use terrorism which alienated the government from its people. Terrorism has been used to achieve a short term aim such as the release of terrorists from their group being held as prisoners, perhaps by taking hostages.

The source is clearly trying to persuade the interpreter that the PLO and Palestinians are not terrorists; and that they have been simply forced to turn to violent ways because they have no other options, even if they think it is not the right thing to do.

Having reviewed these events, I think that the most important cause is the massacre at Deir Yassin. I think this because it was this massacre that started the refugee problem and this is the most prominent problem that still exists today.

The reason for this being is because the Palestinians and Israel people were keen on getting their land back and had their own views on the conflict. The effect that the sources are primary and secondary play a significant part in the way you study them.

to swear obedience to the Roman religion - "I Josephus (Jewish Historian) fully believe that these Romans have a barbaric religion- worshipping more than one god is shameful", yet the Arabs were totally aware that they had to follow the Roman way of life so they weren't forced to leave as well.

is possible that people couldn't speak openly and honestly with amount of obviously mutual cessions just in order of making and finding the common solution, equally optimal for both or many sides. And at least for avoiding such terrible tragedies. Unfortunately, Lebanon's example is reality even in the new days.

The Bank of the River Jordan, but most importantly Jerusalem, the Holy City. There was a great surge of 1.5 million refugees. However the Palestinian Arabs refused to admit defeat and made them hungry for revenge. There was an uneasy peace in the years after 1967.

Almost 100 000 Jews now lived in about fifteen metropolitan satellites around Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Israeli Arabs were alienated and West Bank and Gaza Palestinians disillusioned. By the late 1980s, a whole generation of Palestinians (of whom 70% were under 25yrs old)